It’s a Match: Finding the Right Fit

For most business owners, hiring is a dreaded process which can end in disaster if the candidate is not the right fit. Here’s some things to consider the next time you are ready to hire your next employee.

Evaluate Your Business

Hiring a new employee presents the opportunity to evaluate your business. Take the time to look at the big picture and ask yourself a few questions:

1. Where do I want to be in 10 years?
2. What are my growth plans?

Once you have visualized your business’s roadmap, you must determine what skill sets are needed to help grow your business. Don’t picture the hiring process as a way to simply “replace” a former employee. Turnover is not always a bad thing! Hiring the right fit helps secure forward momentum, and gives you the chance to fully assess whether or not you have the right building blocks.

Making Better Decisions During the Hiring Process

Part of the stage of evaluation is taking a look at industry trends so that you can make better decisions throughout the hiring process. Are there certain perks that successful competitors are offering such as paid-time-off or a designated career path? Additionally, consider some of the top reasons employees leave their job:

1. Career Advancement
2. Pay/Benefits
3. Job Fit
4. Management

The four pain points listed above are all reasons possible candidates are looking for a new job, so chances are your applicants will also fall into one of these categories. How does your business measure up to the top employment issues? Beyond how you business culture may affect a new hire, you must also determine what your budget is for salaries, commissions, and benefits. Coming up with these types of crucial hiring elements should not be decided on the fly when hiring candidates.

Develop The Job Description

Once you have considered your business and where you stand, it is time to develop the job description and set the tone for your hiring process. Keep in mind that the candidates you attract will be as strong as your job description. Your job description is how you will weed out bad candidates. Be sure to include the title of the position, a description of the role, responsibilities, compensation, and minimum and preferred requirements.

If you need help writing your job description and advertisement Download our free guide to help you craft the perfect message needed to attract the most amount of potential candidates.

Interviewing and Hiring the Right Fit

Utilize a variety of outlets to post your job advertisement such as craigslist, Indeed, hairbrained.me, behindthechair.com, LinkedIn, and your social media platforms. It is important to make the recruitment process personable and organized, so make sure you’ve decided a few things such as:

1. Will you use paper or digital applications?
2. Will you pre-screen potential applications via phone interview?
3. Will you do a group or one-on-one interviews?

Once you’ve narrowed down your pool of qualified candidates, it’s also important to ask:

1. Does he/she fit our culture?
2. Is he/she qualified?
3. Will he/she help the business grow?
4. Will our clients like the applicant?

Don’t be afraid to let your staff be a part of the process. Ask their opinion — first impressions are everything! Even if the candidate is not the right fit, let them know in a positive and timely manner. Once you find the right fit, be sure to be timely when hiring, too. Studies show 60% of candidates have quit an application process because it took too long.

We know hiring can be stressful and intimidating; that’s why we’ve created this hiring handbook as a guide to help you find your next great employee.

Improving Your Business Culture

With one of the highest industry turnover rates, a salon’s culture is a critical element to business growth. Why? Culture affects several aspects of a business including employee retention. An unhealthy culture can be detrimental to a salon’s bottom line, as it can cost up to 20% of an employee’s salary to replace them. Check out our recent Coffee Talk with Suzy Tryall, owner of Sage Tryall Salon, as she discusses how you can conquer your culture to empower employees and create a thriving business. Sit back, relax, and watch here.